The night Andromeda left
by Lilyfish
Summary: Warning: Deathly Hallows spoilers! The night Bellatrix is killed, Narcissa sits in her bedroom and recalls when their sister Andromeda left home.


Molly's curse hit Bellatrix square in the chest, the manic laugh dieing in her throat. There was a strangled gasp from behind her as she sunk lifelessly to the ground.

Narcissa's gasp mingled with Voldemort's at the sight of the beloved sister and follower's death.

Then Harry had appeared, miraculously, alive.

He had turned on the Dark Lord, they had circled one another, until that one moment, a death spell and a disarming spell intertwining as one…

It was over. Everything they had stood for was shattered in a single spell. _Potter's _spell, Narcissa thought bitterly. He had cost her Bella too, and now Narcissa would never see her beloved sister again.

After Andromeda had disgraced the family, Narcissa and Bellatrix had become inseparable, desperately trying to make up for what their filthy blood traitor sister had ruined. Narcissa recalled that dark Christmas night when Andromeda left.

_Snow dappled the windows of Grimmauld place, the lights had all been turned out save one. The bedroom of the Black sisters was dimly lit by a guttering candle, and Andromeda was absent, much to the concern of her two siblings, who sat up by the curtains._

_Bellatrix peeped around the edge of the curtain, her beetle black eyes sweeping the length of the road for a sight of the third sister. _

"_Is she back yet Bella?" asked Narcissa, who sat curled on the bottom bunk, shivering for the lack of heating. Bellatrix shook her head darkly and drew the curtain to._

"_One of these nights I'm going to find out where she's been going, then she'll be sorry" Bellatrix muttered crossly._

"_Can we go to sleep yet? I'm tired…we'll be able to watch tomorrow night" murmured Narcissa sleepily, flopping her head down onto the pillow. Bellatrix kicked her head viciously. _

"_NO. That's the mistake we make every night and in the morning she's sound asleep on the bed next to us! I'm not letting it happen again." She snarled, ignoring Narcissa's tears as she tried to stem the bleeding wound from Bellatrix's shoe._

_Suddenly there was noise from the front garden. Bellatrix practically ripped the curtains open, and Narcissa scrambled up onto the window ledge next to her._

_The scene below knocked the breath out of their lungs. It was Andromeda alright, but there was someone else with her, a certain Ted Tonks. But it was what they were _doing _that made it all the worse._

_Ted was running his hands through Andromeda's glossy brown hair, kissing her heatedly._

_Bellatrix let out a scream of fury, and before Narcissa was able to stop her, she had bolted downstairs. Wand in hand. _

_Narcissa giggled, Andromeda was done for; an angry Bellatrix was not a pleasant sight. She drew the curtains, preferring not to witness what was going to happen to Andromeda._

_Suddenly a bang erupted from the garden and Narcissa, unable to contain her curiosity, pulled open the curtains again. Ted Tonks was covered in thick black gunge, which seemed to be suffocating him, and was running blindly towards the gate, dragging Andromeda along with him_

"_AND DON'T YOU DARE COME BACK, FILTH!!" screamed Bellatrix, along with several other profanities. She carried on screaming till she was hoarse, by which Andromeda and Ted were long gone._

Narcissa smiled at the memory, and absent mindedly ran her long fingers along the scar on her head where Bellatrix had kicked her. Her parents had run into the room at the sound of Bellatrix's screaming, but were quickly side tracked at the sight of their youngest daughter's scarlet stained hair. She had been rushed to Saint Mungos.

"_I've told you a thousand times Cissy, I'm sorry!" Bellatrix whined, seated by Narcissa's hospital bed side._

"_You should've thought of that _before _you kicked me" said Narcissa crossly, still refusing to look at Bellatrix. Her head was throbbing very painfully, and she was rather enjoying her sister's grovelling._

"_I was angry because of Andromeda. You were as well!" Bellatrix pleaded. Narcissa sighed, it wasn't easy being mean to Bella._

"_Oh alright, I forgive you!" she conceded grudgingly. Bellatrix beamed and stood up, ruffling her little sister's hair. _

"_Can I get you anything? Tea? Biscuits?"_

_Narcissa grinned._

"_Tea and biscuits would be lovely, Bella"._

What an eventful night it had been! Tragic for their parents, of course, but Narcissa had rather enjoyed the shift of power between herself and Bella, who had been guilt ridden all night, constantly running back and forth to the hospital café. She had even read Narcissa a bed time story! It had been one of those rare moments of true kinship between them, as Bella always put on a brave exterior to the outside world usually.

"_And they all lived unhappily ever after" said Bella in a sing-song voice, smiling down at her sleepy eyed sister.__ She sat there until she thought Narcissa was asleep, then started to walk out of the room. She paused at the doorway, looking at her sister. It was just the two of them now. They were going to have to make their parents proud._

"_I love you Cissy" she whispered._

In her dark room, Narcissa walked over to her window. The moonlight bathed her tear stained face, as she whispered

"I love you too Bella"


End file.
